Framework as in the laptop company, just for clarity. https://frame.work/. For those unaware, the idea is that these are laptops built with a high degree of modularity so that you can replace far more than a single stick of SODIMM with the goal of even upgrading your CPU and mainboard a few years down the line.
Also, Framework is partially owned by Linus Sebastien (Linus Tech Tips) so their marketing is “off the chain” as it were.
Over the past few years I have tried to convince myself to get one a few times. But… the pricing never made sense. As a quick exercise:
- A DIY (so no Windows key) 13th gen intel starts at 850 USD https://frame.work/products/laptop-diy-13-gen-intel?q=processor
- The associated mainboard+cpu is 450 USD https://frame.work/products/mainboard-13th-gen-intel-core?v=FRANGJCP04
- A Dell Inspiron 16 inch (since the samsung with the same specs was on a ridiculous sale and I am trying to prove a point) is 900 USD (on sale for 600) with a windows key https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-16-0-2-in-1-touch-laptop-13th-gen-intel-evo-i5-8gb-memory-512gb-ssd-platinum-silver/6539908.p?skuId=6539908
850+450=1300. So you really aren’t even saving that much unless you actively refuse to shop a sale at Best Buy or pretend you are still a student when they ask. And that assumes you ONLY want to upgrade your mobo+cpu and nothing else.
But I still like the fundamental concept (of the marketing…) of upgradable laptops.
But then I finally watched the Tested teardown video with Norm (the heart and soul of Tested and has been since the Whiskey days) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drxOpMsr6sM and… the general takeaways were that there is a LOT of cool tech involved in the modularity but that the vast majority of people would never mess around with it after assembling their laptop for the first time. Also, Adam Savage has stickers.
Combine that with all of their modular ports being 20 dollar USB-C dongles with single ports and… this feels a lot more like the kind of bullshit Apple does than anything else. Why use the USB C dongle/hub that works with all your other devices when you can buy a 20 dollar HDMI port instead?
Same with stuff like the (honestly insanely cool) modular keyboard layout. Basically, the keyboard, touchpad, etc are all panels that can be popped off and swapped around. So if you want stupid LEDs, you can have them. If you want an offset keyboard, you can do it. If you want a 10key numpad, you can do that too. It is a genuinely awesome idea but… it is a lot of engineering for something that people will use maybe twice in their ownership of the laptop (once to configure, one to replace when they spill their drink). Same with things like being able to swap out the back module to have a GPU when you want it. You do that once.
Which… makes it feel like people are paying a premium for easier assembly at a factory.
And as for the upgradable hardware? Storage and ram are on point and they should be praised. But you are basically buying whole new modules for the CPU/mobo and the GPU and so forth. Which… is kind of necessary because it is so rare to find an actual mobile sized GPU in a consumer available format. But it continues to just feel like you are buying proprietary parts from a company (Framework want other companies to make parts but I have not looked through the terms and licensing).
But also? A friend pointed out: How many sticks of DDR3 ram do you still have? Because I know that I have a big bin of computer parts “just in case” that I will never use but also can’t be bothered to throw away because maybe I will. And that is what these modular parts become. You COULD recycle your old mainboad+cpu… or you can keep it in case you want to do a project that you never will and that would be perfectly fine with a raspberry pi or a cheap nuc anyway.
Contrast that with wiping your laptop and giving it to a nephew or dropping it off in an e-waste bin (and many stores offer incentives to do that).
All of which combines to… this feels a lot like the kind of “poison pill” compliance that Apple is doing on the right to repair side. They make a big deal about how they allow people to repair their shit now (that various governments threatened action…). But they tightly control the parts and rent out the hardware AND price it to strongly discourage hobbyists to the point that it mostly feels like they are just squeezing out the third party shops even more.
I’m torn because I do think the stated ethos is awesome. I… also have had no issues replacing my storage or upgrading my ram in my last few laptops but I tend to not get “flagship” models so there is that. But it is increasingly feeling like Framework is just building up IP to sell to manufacturers while having a net negative on the amount of e-waste in the laptop space.
I don’t think you need to be that worried about “tightening control to the likes of Apple”. Given that they encourage people build their own cases for the motherboards, design and 3d print custom expansion cards, I won’t be surprised if some 3rd party designs a whole new motherboard to fit in their chassis since the size is supposed to be standard. Iirc, Louis Rossman did do a video on them in the past that confirmed Framework would be willing to work with repair shops to provide them the schematics that they are able to provide to aid in repairs.
On the other topic, I agree that most people won’t be needing to swap out parts that often. But that’s also the beauty of modularity though. You buy the parts that you actually need and nothing else. Framework can sell the exact same chassis that still fills the need for different people who have different needs for ports. And since they’re supposed to reuse the same chassis down the line, you are almost guaranteed to have parts still be available multiple generations after, unlike modern laptops where parts would be much harder to find after a couple of hardware refreshes.
Framework is still a niche product, thus they will definitely still be much more expensive than regular laptops due to scale and whatnot. Most people would be better off buying those tbh. But if you care about upgradability or repairability multiple years after purchase, I think they’re still worth considering.
I mean, “down the line” is very much a function of “will Framework still be around when I am ready to upgrade?”. And we have plenty of examples of functionality implying form and breaking backwards compatibility. Often for good reasons. Like, there was never a strong promise but it is worth looking at even the OLED Steam Deck and how the tweaked internals are almost universally praised but… yeah.
I dunno, I think your last para kind of sums up my increasing thoughts on this. It is really feeling less like a paradigm shift or even something particularly sustainable and more like something marketed at “enthusiasts” (like those modular phones). And I’ve seen a lot of those over the years and they… exist until they don’t. And it very much leads to a “baby with the bath water” scenario where people view all “modular” phones or whatever as being a scam rather than acknowledging that stuff like swappable camera lenses/nterfaces is REALLY cool and something that would benefit all phones. Even if a swappable display is very niche.